Electronic apparatus, control method therefor, and non-transitory computer readable medium

ABSTRACT

An electronic apparatus includes a display control unit configured to, in a case where a predetermined touch operation is made in a first area, perform control to display an indicator indicating a movable range of a selection position by a moving operation on a display unit regardless of a distance from a border between the first area and a second area to a touch position of the predetermined touch operation.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to an electronic apparatus capable ofmoving a selection position by a touch operation, and a method forcontrolling the electronic apparatus.

Description of the Related Art

Many apparatuses capable of moving a pointer displayed on a displayscreen by operating a touch panel that is capable of touch operationsand located at a position different from the display screen have beenknown in recent years. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2017-102626 discusses a method where a user specifies an automatic focus(AF) frame position by operating a touch panel located on the back of animaging apparatus while looking into a viewfinder. Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No. 2017-102626 discusses changing a display modeof the AF frame for user notification in a case where a touch positionis about to go out of an effective touch area (approach the boundary ofthe effective touch area) in changing the AF frame position.

According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-102626,however, when the user operates the touch panel while viewing not thetouch panel but the display screen, the display mode of the AF framedisplayed on the display screen does not change until the operatingfinger approaches the boundary of the effective touch area. The usertouching a position away from the boundary is therefore unable to findout the range capable of touch operations on the touch panel, i.e., howfar a touch operation can be made or from where a touch operation can nolonger be made.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to facilitating the user to find outa range where a selection position can be moved by a touch operation.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronicapparatus includes a control unit configured to, in a case where amoving operation for making a touch on an operation surface and movingthe touch is made in a first area of the operation surface, controlmovement of a selection position displayed on a display unit by anamount corresponding to the moving operation, and in a case where themoving operation is made in a second area of the operation surface, thesecond area adjoining the first area, perform control such that themovement of the selection position is not performed, and a displaycontrol unit configured to, in a case where a predetermined touchoperation is made in the first area, perform control to display anindicator indicating a movable range of the selection position by themoving operation on the display unit regardless of a distance from aborder between the first and second areas to a touch position of thepredetermined touch operation.

Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are external views of a digital camera according to oneor more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration example of the digital camera according to one or moreaspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a flowchart for controlling display of an automaticfocus (AF) pointer displayed on an electronic viewfinder (EVF) by atouch operation according to one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a setting menu screen related to an effective toucharea of a touch panel according to one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating operation examples of the touchpanel and display examples of the EVF according to one or more aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating modifications of the operationexamples of the touch panel and the display examples of the EVFaccording to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described indetail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to benoted that the following exemplary embodiment is merely one example forimplementing the present disclosure and can be appropriately modified orchanged depending on individual constructions and various conditions ofapparatuses to which the present disclosure is applied. Thus, thepresent disclosure is in no way limited to the following exemplaryembodiment.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedbelow with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate external views of a digital camera 100 thatis an example of an apparatus to which an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure can be applied. FIG. 1A is a front perspective viewof the digital camera 100. FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of thedigital camera 100. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a display unit 28 is a displayunit located on the back of the digital camera 100. The display unit 28displays images and various types of information. A touch panel 70 a isa touch detection unit that can detect a touch operation. The touchpanel 70 a can detect a touch operation on the display surface(operation surface) of the display unit 28. An extra-viewfinder displayunit 43 is a display unit located on the top of the digital camera 100.The extra-viewfinder display unit 43 displays various setting values ofthe digital camera 100, including a shutter speed and an aperture. Ashutter button 61 is an operation unit for giving imaging instructions.A mode change switch 60 is an operation unit for switching betweenvarious modes. Terminal covers 40 are covers for protecting connectors(not illustrated) that connect connection cables of external deviceswith the digital camera 100. A main electronic dial 71 is a rotaryoperation member included in an operation unit 70. The main electronicdial 71 can be rotated to change setting values such as the shutterspeed and the aperture. A power switch 72 is an operation member forswitching on and off the power of the digital camera 100. A subelectronic dial 73 is a rotary operation member included in theoperation unit 70 and can be used to move a selection frame and scrollthrough images. A directional pad 74 is an directional key operationmember (four-way pad) included in the operation unit 70, and includes apush button the top, bottom, left, and right portions of which can bepressed in respective four directions. The digital camera 100 can beoperated based on the pressed direction or portion of the directionalpad 74. A set button 75 is a push button included in the operation unit70 and mainly used to determine a selected item. A moving image button76 is used to give instructions to start and stop capturing (recording)a moving image. An automatic exposure (AE) lock button 77 is included inthe operation unit 70, and can lock an exposure state when pressed in animaging standby state. A zoom button 78 is an operation button includedin the operation unit 70 and intended to turn on/off a zoom mode of alive view display in an imaging mode. If the main electronic dial 71 isoperated with the zoom mode on, a live view image can be zoomed in andout. In a playback mode, the zoom button 78 functions as a zoom buttonfor enlarging a playback image to increase the enlargement ratio. Aplayback button 79 is an operation button included in the operation unit70 and switches between the imaging mode and the playback mode. If theplayback button 79 is pressed in the imaging mode, the digital camera100 can enter the playback mode and display the latest image amongimages recorded in a recording medium 200 on the display unit 28. A menubutton 81 is included in the operation unit 70. If the menu button 81 ispressed, a menu screen capable of making various settings is displayedon the display unit 28. The user can intuitively make various settingsby using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28, thedirectional pad 74, the set button 75, and/or a multi-controller (MC)65. The MC 65 can accept directional instructions in eight directionsand a push operation in the middle. A communication terminal 10 is usedfor the digital camera 100 to communicate with a lens unit 150(detachable) to be described below. An eyepiece unit 16 is an eyepieceunit of an eyepiece viewfinder (look-into viewfinder). The user canvisually recognize a video image displayed on an electronic viewfinder(EVF) 29 inside via the eyepiece unit 16. An eye approach detection unit57 is an eye approach detection sensor that detects whether thephotographer (user) puts his/her eye on the eyepiece unit 16. A lid 202is a lid for a slot in which the recording medium 200 is accommodated. Agrip unit 90 is a holding unit having a shape easy for the user to gripwith the right hand when holding the digital camera 100 in position. Theshutter button 61 and the main electronic dial 71 are located atpositions where operations can be made with the right index finger in astate where the user holds the digital camera 100 by gripping the gripunit 90 with the right little finger, ring finger, and middle finger.The sub electronic dial 73 is located at a position where operations canbe made with the right thumb in the same state.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of thedigital camera 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment. InFIG. 2, the lens unit 150 is a lens unit including an interchangeableimaging leans. A lens 103 typically includes a plurality of lenses, butis represented here by a single lens for the sake of simplicity. Acommunication terminal 6 is used for the lens unit 150 to communicatewith the digital camera 100. The lens unit 150 communicates with asystem control unit 50 via the communication terminal 6 and theforegoing communication terminal 10, and controls a diaphragm 1 by alens system control circuit 4 inside via a diaphragm drive circuit 2.The lens unit 150 then adjusts a focus by moving the lens 103 via anautomatic focus (AF) drive circuit 3.

A shutter 101 is a focal plane shutter that can freely control exposuretime of an imaging unit 22 based on control by the system control unit50.

The imaging unit 22 is an image sensor including a charge-coupled device(CCD) or complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) device thatconverts an optical image into an electrical signal. Ananalog-to-digital (A/D) converter 23 is used to convert an analog signaloutput from the imaging unit 22 into a digital signal.

An image processing unit 24 performs resize processing, such aspredetermined pixel interpolation and reduction, and color conversionprocessing on data from the A/D converter 23 or data from a memorycontrol unit 15 to be described below. The image processing unit 24 alsoperforms predetermined calculation processing by using captured imagedata. The system control unit 50 performs exposure control and distancemeasurement control based on the calculation results obtained by theimage processing unit 24. Through-the-lens (TTL) AF processing, AEprocessing, and electronic flash (EF) (flash preliminary emission)processing are thereby performed. The image processing unit 24 furtherperforms predetermined calculation processing by using the capturedimage data, and performs TTL automatic white balance (AWB) processingbased on the obtained calculation result.

The memory control unit 15 controls data exchange between the A/Dconverter 23, the image processing unit 24, and a memory 32. Output datafrom the A/D converter 23 is written to the memory 32 via the imageprocessing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15, or directly via thememory control unit 15. The memory 32 stores image data that is obtainedby the imaging unit 22 and digitally converted by the A/D converter 23,and image data to be displayed on the display unit 28 and/or the EVF 29(display unit inside the viewfinder). The memory 32 has a sufficientstorage capacity to store a predetermined number of still images or apredetermined duration of moving image and sound.

The memory 32 also serves as an image display memory (video memory).Display image data written to the memory 32 is displayed on the displayunit 28 and/or the EVF 29 via the memory control unit 15. Adigital-to-analog (D/A) conversion unit 19 converts display image datastored in the memory 32 into an analog signal and supplies the analogsignal to the display unit 28 and/or the EVF 29 via the memory controlunit 15. Accordingly, the display image data written in the memory 32 isdisplayed on the display unit 28 and/or the EVF 29 via the D/Aconversion unit 19. The display unit 28 and the EVF 29 provide displayon their display devices, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and anorganic electroluminescence (EL) display, based on signals from thememory control unit 15. A live view (LV) display can be provided bysuccessively transferring data that is A/D-converted by the A/Dconverter 23 and accumulated in the memory 32 to the display unit 28 orthe EVF 29 and displaying the transferred data. An image displayed by anLV display will hereinafter be referred to as an LV image.

Various setting values of the digital camera 100, including the shutterspeed and the aperture, are displayed on the extra-viewfinder displayunit 43 via an extra-viewfinder display unit drive circuit 44.

A nonvolatile memory 56 is an electrically erasable and recordablememory. For example, a flash read-only memory (ROM) is used as thenonvolatile memory 56. The nonvolatile memory 56 stores operatingconstants and a program for the system control unit 50. As employedherein, the program refers to a computer program for performing aflowchart to be described below in the present exemplary embodiment.

The system control unit 50 is a control unit including at least oneprocessor or circuit, and controls the entire digital camera 100.Various processes of the present exemplary embodiment to be describedbelow are implemented by executing the program recorded in thenonvolatile memory 56 described above. A system memory 52 is a randomaccess memory (RAM), for example. The operating constants of the systemcontrol unit 50, variables, and the program read from the nonvolatilememory 56 are loaded into the system memory 52. The system control unit50 also performs display control by controlling the memory 32 and thedisplay unit 28.

A system timer 53 is a clocking unit that measures time used for varioustypes of control and the time of a built-in clock.

The mode change switch 60, a first shutter switch 62, a second shutterswitch 64, and the operation unit 70 are operation members for inputtingvarious operation instructions into the system control unit 50. The modechange switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit50 to any one of still and moving image capturing modes. The still imagecapturing modes include an automatic imaging mode, an automatic scenedetermination mode, a manual mode, an aperture priority mode (aperturevalue (Av) mode), a shutter speed priority mode (time value (Tv) mode),and a program AE mode (P mode). Various scene modes to make imagingsettings for respective imaging scenes, and a custom mode are alsoincluded. The user can directly switch the operation mode to any one ofthe modes by using the mode change switch 60. Alternatively, the usercan once switch to an imaging mode list screen by using the mode changeswitch 60, select one of a plurality of modes that is displayed, andswitch to the selected mode by using another operation member.Similarly, the moving image capturing mode may also include a pluralityof modes.

The first shutter switch 62 turns on to generate a first shutter switchsignal SW1 if the shutter button 61 provided on the digital camera 100is operated halfway, i.e., half-pressed (imaging preparationinstruction). In response to the first shutter switch signal SW1, thesystem control unit 50 starts imaging preparation operations such as AFprocessing, AE processing, AWB processing, and EF (flash preliminaryemission) processing.

The second shutter switch 64 turns on to generate a second shutterswitch signal SW2 if the shutter button 61 is completely operated, i.e.,full-pressed (imaging instruction). In response to the second shutterswitch signal SW2, the system control unit 50 starts a series ofoperations for imaging processing, including reading of a signal fromthe imaging unit 22 to writing of a captured image to the recordingmedium 200 as an image file.

The operation unit 70 includes various operation members serving asinput units for accepting operations from the user. The operation unit70 includes at least the following operation members: the shutter button61, the multi-controller 65, the touch panel 70 a, the main electronicdial 71, and the power switch 72. The operation unit 70 also incudes thesub electronic dial 73, the directional pad 74, the set button 75, themoving image button 76, the AE lock button 77, the zoom button 78, theplayback button 79, and the menu button 81.

A power supply control unit 80 includes a battery detection circuit, adirect-current-to-direct-current (DC-DC) converter, and a switch circuitfor switching blocks to be energized. The power supply control unit 80detects the presence or absence of an attached battery, the type ofbattery, and the remaining battery level. The power supply control unit80 also controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection results andinstructions from the system control unit 50, and supplies predeterminedvoltages to various components including the recording medium 200 forpredetermined periods. A power supply unit 30 includes a primary batterysuch as an alkali battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery suchas a nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery, a nickel metal halide (NiMH)battery, or a lithium-ion (Li) battery, and/or an alternating current(AC) adaptor.

A recording medium interface (I/F) 18 is an interface with the recordingmedium 200. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium for recordingcaptured images, such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recordingmedium 200 includes a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.

A communication unit 54 connects to an external device wirelessly or viaa cable, and transmits and receives a video signal and an audio signal.The communication unit 54 can also connect to a wireless local areanetwork (LAN) and the Internet. In addition, the communication unit 54can communicate with an external device by Bluetooth (registeredtrademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy communication.The communication unit 54 can transmit images captured by the imagingunit 22 (including an LV image) and images recorded in the recordingmedium 200, and can receive images and other various types ofinformation from an external device.

An orientation detection unit 55 detects the orientation of the digitalcamera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity. Whether an imagecaptured by the imaging unit 22 is one captured with the digital camera100 held in landscape orientation or one captured with the digitalcamera 100 held in portrait orientation can be determined based on theorientation detected by the orientation detection unit 55. The systemcontrol unit 50 can add orientation information corresponding to theorientation detected by the orientation detection unit 55 to the imagefile of the image captured by the imaging unit 22, or rotate the imageand record the rotated image. An acceleration sensor or a gyro sensorcan be used as the orientation detection unit 55. The accelerationsensor or gyro sensor that is the orientation detection unit 55 can alsobe used to detect movement of the digital camera 100 (pan, tilt,lift-up, and whether being at rest).

The eye approach detection unit 57 is an eye approach detection sensorfor detecting approach (eye approach) and separation (eye separation) ofan eye (object) to/from the eyepiece unit 16 of the viewfinder (approachdetection). The system control unit 50 switches whether to provide orhide display (switches between a display state and a hidden state) onthe display unit 28 and the EVF 29, depending on the state detected bythe eye contact detection unit 57. More specifically, suppose that atleast the digital camera 100 is in an imaging standby state and theswitching setting of the display device of the LV image captured by theimaging unit 22 is automatic switching setting. When no eye approach ismade, the display device is switched to the display unit 28, and thedisplay unit 28 provides display and the EVF 29 hides display. When aneye approach is made, the display device is switched to the EVF 29, andthe EVF 29 provides display and the display unit 28 hides display. Forexample, the eye approach detection unit 57 can use an infraredproximity sensor, and can detect the approach of an object to theeyepiece unit 16 of the viewfinder where the EVF 29 is embedded. If anobject approaches, infrared rays projected from a light projection part(not illustrated) of the eye approach detection unit 57 are reflectedand received by a light reception part (not illustrated) of the infraredproximity sensor. How close the object has approached the eyepiece 16(eye approach distance) can also be determined based on the amount ofreceived infrared rays. In such a manner, the eye approach detectionunit 57 performs eye approach detection to detect the approach distanceof the object to the eyepiece unit 16. If the eyepiece unit 16 is in aneye non-approach state (non-approach state) and an object approachingthe eyepiece 16 is detected within a predetermined distance, an eyeapproach is detected. If the eyepiece unit 16 is in an eye approachstate (approach state) and the approach-detected object gets away fromthe eyepiece unit 16 by a predetermined distance or more, an eyeseparation is detected. The threshold for detecting an eye approach andthe threshold for detecting an eye separation can be different, e.g.,have a hysteresis. After an eye approach is detected, the eye approachstate continues until an eye separation is detected. After an eyeseparation is detected, the eye non-approach state continues until aneye approach is detected. Note that the infrared proximity sensor isjust an example, and other sensors capable of detecting the approach ofan eye or object that can be regarded as an eye approach can be employedas the eye approach detection unit 57.

The touch panel 70 a and the display unit 28 can be integrallyconfigured. For example, the touch panel 70 a is configured such thatits light transmittance does not interfere with the display on thedisplay unit 28, and attached onto the display surface of the displayunit 28. The input coordinates of the touch panel 70 a are thenassociated with the display coordinates on the display screen of thedisplay unit 28. This can provide a graphical user interface (GUI) thatenables the user to make operations as if directly operating the screendisplayed on the display unit 28. The system control unit 50 can detectthe following operations or states on/of the touch panel 70 a:

-   -   That a finger or pen not touching the touch panel 70 a newly        touches the touch panel 70 a. In other words, a start of a touch        (hereinafter, referred to as a touch-down).    -   A state where a finger or pen is touching the touch panel 70 a        (hereinafter, referred to as a touch-on).    -   That a finger or pen touching the touch panel 70 a moves        (hereinafter, referred to as a touch-move).    -   That a finger or pen touching the touch panel 70 a is released.        In other words, an end of a touch (hereinafter, referred to as a        touch-up).    -   A state where nothing touches the touch panel 70 a (hereinafter,        referred to as a touch-off).

If a touch-down is detected, a touch-on is simultaneously detected aswell. After a touch-down, a touch-on usually continues to be detectedunless a touch-up is detected. A touch-move is also detected in thestate where a touch-on is detected. If a touch-on is detected and thetouch position does not move, no touch-move is detected. A touch-offoccurs if a touch-up is detected of all the finger(s) and pen touchingthe touch panel 70 a.

The system control unit 50 is notified of such operations and states andthe position coordinates where a finger or pen is touching the touchpanel 70 a via an internal bus. The system control unit 50 determineswhat operation (touch operation) is made on the touch panel 70 a basedon the notified information. In the case of a touch-move, the systemcontrol unit 50 can also determine the moving direction of the finger orpen moving on the touch panel 70 a in terms of vertical and horizontalcomponents on the touch panel 70 a separately, based on a change in theposition coordinates. If a touch-move made for a predetermined distanceor more is detected, the system control unit 50 determines that a slideoperation is made. An operation of quickly moving a finger touching thetouch panel 70 a for some distance and immediately releasing the fingerwill be referred to as a flick. In other words, a flick is an operationof quickly moving the finger on the touch panel 70 a as if flicking. Ifa touch-move made for a predetermined distance or more at or above apredetermined speed is detected and a touch-up is immediately detected,a flick can be determined to be made (a flick can be determined to bemade after a slide operation). Moreover, a touch operation ofsimultaneously touching a plurality of points (for example, two points)and bringing the touch positions close to each other will be referred toas a pinch-in. A touch operation of separating the touch positions fromeach other will be referred to as a pinch-out. A pinch-out and apinch-in will be referred to collectively as pinch operations (or simplypinches). The touch panel 70 a may be any one of various types of touchpanels, including resistive, capacitive, surface acoustic wave,infrared, electromagnetic induction, image recognition, and opticalsensor touch panels. Some types of touch panels detect a touch based ona contact on the touch panel, and some detect a touch based on approachof a finger or pen to the touch panels. Either may be used.

If a touch-move operation is made in the eye approach state, the usercan set a method for specifying the position of a position index by atouch-move operation to either absolute position specification orrelative position specification. Suppose, for example, that the positionindex is an AF frame. In the case of absolute position specification, anAF position corresponding to a touch position on the touch panel 70 a(position where a coordinate input is made) is set when the touch panel70 a is touched. In other words, the position coordinates where thetouch operation is made are associated with the position coordinates ofthe display unit 28. By contrast, in the case of relative positionspecification, the position coordinates where a touch operation is madeare not associated with the position coordinates of the display unit 28.In relative position specification, the touch position is moved by adistance corresponding to the moving amount of the touch-move from thecurrently-set AF position in the moving direction of the touch-moveregardless of the touch-down position on the touch panel 70 a.

In the present exemplary embodiment, processing for controlling an AFpointer by a touch operation on the digital camera 100 will bedescribed.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a flowchart of control processing for displaying amovable range of the AF pointer when the user makes a touch operation onthe touch panel 70 a outside the viewfinder while looking into theviewfinder (making an eye approach to the eyepiece unit 16) according tothe present exemplary embodiment. In the present exemplary embodiment,the AF pointer indicates a provisional position for determining an AFexecution position (displaying the AF frame). Specifically, the AFpointer is represented by four indicators like an AF pointer 500illustrated in FIG. 5A, so that the AF pointer looks like a circle. AnAF frame (frame indicating a focus detection area) is displayed suchthat the four corners of a horizontally long rectangle are indicatedwith thick L shapes (not illustrated). An AF operation is not performedwhile the AF pointer is displayed. An AF operation is performed afterthe AF frame is displayed. The digital camera 100 implements suchcontrol processing by the system control unit 50 loading the programrecorded in the nonvolatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 andexecuting the program. The flowchart of FIGS. 3A and 3B is started ifthe digital camera 100 is activated (powered on) in the imaging mode andthe user looks into the viewfinder, i.e., makes an eye approach to theeyepiece unit 16 in the imaging standby state. The present exemplaryembodiment facilitates the user to visually recognize the movable rangewhere the AF pointer can be moved by a touch operation when the useroperates the touch panel 70 a while looking into the viewfinder.

In step S300, the system control unit 50 refers to the nonvolatilememory 56 and determines whether a setting for touch & drag AF is on. Ifthe setting is on (YES in step S300), the processing proceeds to stepS301. If the setting is off (NO in step S300), the processing proceedsto step S325. The touch & drag AF refers to a function of moving the AFpointer when the user makes a touch operation on the touch panel 70 awhile looking into the viewfinder. The setting for the touch & drag AFcan be freely made by the user. If the setting for the touch & drag AFis on, the user can move the AF pointer to a desired position by makingan eye approach to the eyepiece unit 16 and making a touch operation onthe touch panel 70 a while viewing the EVF 29. If the setting for thetouch & drag AF is off, the position of the AF frame does not move basedon a touch operation even when the user makes the touch operation on thetouch panel 70 a while viewing the EVF 29.

In step S301, the system control unit 50 refers to the nonvolatilememory 56 and obtains a setting of an effective touch area. Theeffective touch area refers to an area where a touch operation iseffective when the user makes the touch operation on the touch panel 70a. The effective touch area can be freely set on a setting menu screenillustrated in FIG. 4. The setting menu screen related to the effectivetouch area indicated by a setting item 401 displays possible candidatesfor area settings, such as a candidate 402 and a candidate 403. An icon403 a illustrates the area capable of touch operations on the touchpanel 70 a when the candidate 403 is set. Similar icons are alsodisplayed for other respective candidates, not just for the candidate403. Providing display like the icon 403 a enables the user to visuallyrecognize which part of the touch panel 70 a can be operated if thedisplayed candidate is selected. FIG. 4 illustrates a situation wherethe setting of the effective touch area indicated by the setting item401 is set to the candidate 403, i.e., the top right part of the touchpanel 70 a. If the effective touch area is the top right part of thetouch panel 70 a indicated by the candidate 403, the user can move theposition of the AF pointer while gripping the grip unit 90 by the righthand with the right index finger on the shutter button 61, i.e., beingready for an imaging opportunity. This can reduce the possibility of theuser's chances of missing an imaging opportunity. In addition,malfunction can be prevented from occurring even if the nose touches theareas other than the top right area of the touch panel 70 a. Thecandidates for the setting item 401 are not limited to the right andleft areas into which the touch panel 70 a is vertically sectioned orthe upper and lower areas into which the touch panel 70 a ishorizontally sectioned as illustrated in FIG. 4. Specifically, the touchpanel 70 a may be sectioned into four areas, and the candidates for thesetting item 401 may include bottom right, top left, and bottom leftcandidates aside from the top right candidate 403. For example, if thearea capable of touch operations is only the top right area of the touchpanel 70 a, the effective touch area can be too small for a user havingbig hands to smoothly move a finger. In such a case, the effective toucharea can be set to the lower right area or the right area to facilitatefinger movement for smooth movement of the AF pointer. Moreover, aleft-handed user can operate the left half area of the touch panel 70 awith a finger of the left hand more easily while gripping the grip unit90 by the right hand with the right index finger on the shutter button61.

In step S302, the system control unit 50 determines whether a touch-downis made on the touch panel 70 a. If a touch-down is made (YES in stepS302), the processing proceeds to step S303. If not (NO in step S302),the processing proceeds to step S325.

In step S303, the system control unit 50 determines whether thetouch-down is made within the effective touch area. If the touch-downdetermined to be made in step S302 falls within the effective touch area(YES in step S303), the processing proceeds to step S304. If not (NO instep S303), the processing proceeds to step S325. In this step, thesystem control unit 50 makes the determination based on the setting ofthe effective touch area obtained in step S301 and the touch-downposition obtained in step S302.

In step S304, the system control unit 50 refers to the nonvolatilememory 56 and determines the specification method of the touch & dragAF. If the specification method of the touch & drag AF is relativeposition specification (YES in step S304), the processing proceeds tostep S305. If the specification method of the touch & drag AF isabsolute position specification (NO in step S304), the processingproceeds to step S307.

In step S305, the system control unit 50 refers to the system memory 52based on the touch-down made in step S302, and displays an AF pointernot at the touch-down position but at a position where the AF frame isdisplayed or an AF operation is performed last time.

In step S306, the system control unit 50 displays an indicatorindicating a range where the AF pointer can be moved by the touch & dragAF. Based on the determination of step S304, the display position andsize of the indicator displayed in this step change depending on theuser's touch-down position on the touch panel 70 a, the current displayposition of the AF frame displayed in response to the touch-down, andthe setting of the effective touch area. A method for calculating thedisplay position and size of the indicator will be described below withreference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6A to 6C.

In step S307, the system control unit 50 displays the AF pointer at aposition corresponding to the touch-down position of the touch-down madein step S302.

In step S308, the system control unit 50 displays an indicatorindicating the entire display area of the EVF 29 or a settable range ofthe AF frame that is a part of the display area of the EVF 29. Since thespecification method of the touch & drag AF is determined to be absoluteposition specification in step S304, the display position and size ofthe indicator displayed in this step do not change depending on theuser's touch-down position, the display position of the AF frame, or thesetting of the effective touch area. In other words, a predetermined(unchangeable) range is displayed as the indicator. The display positionand size of the indicator here will be described below with reference toFIG. 5C. While in the present exemplary embodiment the indicator isdisplayed (in steps S306 or S308) in response to the touch-down made onthe touch panel 70 a in step S302, the display timing is not limitedthereto. The indicator may be displayed in response to a touch-moveoperation on the touch panel 70 a (step S309).

In step S309, the system control unit 50 determines whether a touch-moveis made on the touch panel 70 a. If a touch-move is made (YES in stepS309), the processing proceeds to step S310. If not (NO in step S309),the processing proceeds to step S320.

In step S310, like step S304, the system control unit 50 determines thespecification method of the touch & drag AF. If the specification methodis relative position specification (YES in step S310), the processingproceeds to step S311. If the specification method is absolute positionspecification (NO in step S310), the processing proceeds to step S312.

In step S311, the system control unit 50 moves the AF pointer inrelative position by an amount corresponding to the amount of touch-moveoperation made in step S309. In other words, the system control unit 50moves the AF pointer by the amount corresponding to the amount oftouch-move operation regardless of the position coordinates of the touchposition. The amount corresponding to the amount of touch-move operationrefers to an amount obtained by multiplying the amount of touch-moveoperation by a given coefficient, such as a (a: positive real number).The coefficient α can be freely set by the user. The behavior in stepS311 will be described below with reference to FIG. 5B.

In step S312, the system control unit 50 moves the AF pointer inabsolute position by the amount of movement of the touch positioncoordinates by the touch-move made on the touch panel 70 a. In otherwords, the system control unit 50 moves the AF pointer as much as theposition coordinates are moved by the touch-move. In step S312, unlikestep S311, the AF pointer is moved by an amount corresponding to theposition coordinates moved by the touch-move. Specifically, the systemcontrol unit 50 calculates the corresponding position coordinates basedon a difference in scale between the effective touch area and the EVF29, which is determined in calculating the indicator displayed in stepS306, and moves the AF pointer. The behavior in step S312 will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 5C.

In step S313, the system control unit 50 determines whether a touch-moveout of the effective touch area obtained in step S301 is made. If atouch-move out of the effective touch area is made (YES in step S313),the processing proceeds to step S314. If not (NO in step S313), theprocessing proceeds to step S320.

In step S314, the system control unit 50 stops the AF pointer at theboundary of the movable range. Specifically, suppose in FIG. 5A that afinger 520 moves from inside the area having vertices at points R0 to R3(effective touch area) to outside the effective touch area across theside connecting points R0 and R1. In such a case, the AF pointer isstopped at the position when the AF pointer moves out of the area orimmediately before the AF pointer moves out of the area. Specifically,in FIG. 5A, the AF pointer 500 is stopped within the movable range onthe EVF 29, with a side of the AF pointer 500 in contact with the sideconnecting points S0 and S1. Since the AF pointer 500 does not move evenif the user continues the touch-move outside the effective touch area,the user can find out that his/her own touch-move operation has exceededthe effective touch area.

In step S315, the system control unit 50 determines whether apredetermined time has elapsed since the stop of the AF pointer at theboundary of the movable range in step S314, i.e., the user's touchposition moved out of the effective touch area. If the predeterminedtime has elapsed (YES in step S315), the processing proceeds to stepS316. If not (NO in step S315), the processing proceeds to step S317.

In step S316, the system control unit 50 performs an AF operation at thedisplay position of the AF pointer on the EVF 29. Since the AF pointeris stopped in steps S314 and S315, i.e., the user's touch position isoutside the effective touch area, the movement of the AF pointer by thetouch operation is considered to have ended, and the system control unit50 performs the AF operation at the display position of the AF pointer.Changing a display mode here enables the user to visually recognize thatthe selection of the AF pointer has been ended (cancelled). The user canalso determine whether to make a touch-up and make a touch-down withinthe effective touch area again to further move the AF pointer. In thecase of a single-point AF where the AF setting is fixed to a point, thesystem control unit 50 performs the AF operation at the position wherethe AF frame (not illustrated) is displayed, and fixes the AF frame. Ifthe AF setting is a tracking AF, the system control unit 50 determines atracking target at the display position of the AF frame and startstracking.

In step S317, the system control unit 50 determines whether a touch-moveinto the effective touch area is made. If a touch-move into theeffective touch area is made (YES in step S317), the processing returnsto step S310. If not (NO in step S317), the processing returns to stepS315. Stopping the AF pointer at the boundary of the movable range instep S314 enables the user to find out that the touch-move operation onthe touch panel 70 a has exceeded the effective touch area. Therefore,it is conceivable that the user brings back the touch-move operationinto the effective touch area.

In step S318, the system control unit 50 determines whether a touch-upfrom the touch panel 70 a is made. If a touch-up is made (YES in stepS318), the processing proceeds to step S319. If not (NO in step S318),the processing returns to step S318.

In step S319, the system control unit 50 hides the indicator displayedin step S306. Hiding the indicator in response to the touch-up canreduce the user's annoyance in observing the LV image displayed on theEVF 29, such as an LV image 521 in FIG. 5A. This can also eliminate theuser's confusion about why the movable range of a touch operation isdisplayed in the absence of a touch operation.

In step S320, like step S318, the system control unit 50 determineswhether a touch-up from the touch panel 70 a is made. If a touch-up ismade (YES in step S320), the processing proceeds to step S321. If not(NO in step S320), the processing returns to step S309.

In step S321, like step S319, the system control unit 50 hides theindicator displayed in step S306.

In step S322, the system control unit 50 determines whether apredetermined time has elapsed since the touch-up. If a predeterminedtime has elapsed (YES in step S322), the processing proceeds to stepS323. If not (NO in step S322), the processing proceeds to step S324.The predetermined time in step S322 may be the same as or different fromthat in step S315.

In step S323, the system control unit 50 performs an AF operation at thedisplay position of the AF pointer displayed on the EVF 29.

In step S324, like step S302, the system control unit 50 determineswhether a touch-down is made on the touch panel 70 a. If a touch-down ismade (YES in step S324), the processing returns to step S303. If not (NOin step S324), the processing returns to step S322.

In step S325, the system control unit 50 determines whether the shutterbutton 61 is half-pressed, i.e., the first shutter switch 62 is on. Ifthe first shutter switch 62 is on (YES in step S325), the processingproceeds to step S326. If not (NO in step S325), the processing proceedsto step S332.

In step S326, the system control unit 50 determines whether a focus modeis set to an AF mode. If the focus mode is set to the AF mode (YES instep S326), the processing proceeds to step S327. If not (NO in stepS326), the processing proceeds to step S328.

In step S327, the system control unit 50 performs AF processing based onthe position where the AF operation is performed in step S316 or S323(display position of the AF pointer). In the case of a single-point AFwhere the AF setting is fixed to a point, the AF operation is performedat the position where the AF frame (not illustrated) is displayed.

In step S328, the system control unit 50 performs other imagingpreparation processing such as AE processing and AWB processing.

In step S329, the system control unit 50 determines whether an imaginginstruction is given. If an imaging instruction is given (YES in stepS329), the processing proceeds to step S330. If not (NO in step S329),the processing proceeds to step S331. The imaging instruction refers tothe turning-on of the second shutter switch 64 (i.e., a full-press onthe shutter button 61) or a touch operation on an imaging buttondisplayed on the display unit 28.

In step S330, the system control unit 50 performs a series of imagingprocesses up to recording of a captured image into the recording medium200 as an image file. Note that the system control unit 50 also performsthe imaging processes if an imaging instruction is given in the imagingstandby state, even in the middle of the control flowchart of FIGS. 3Aand 3B (i.e., in steps other than step S330). Similarly, the systemcontrol unit 50 enters the imaging standby state if the shutter button61 is operated in a state other than the imaging standby state.

In step S331, the system control unit 50 determines whether the shutterbutton 61 remains being half-pressed, i.e., the first shutter switch 62remains on. If the first shutter switch 62 is on (YES in step S331), theprocessing returns to step S329. If not (NO in step S331), theprocessing proceeds to step S332.

In step S332, the system control unit 50 determines whether theprocessing is ended. If the processing is ended (YES in step S332), thecontrol flowchart of FIGS. 3A and 3B ends. If not (NO in step S332), theprocessing returns to step S302. That the processing is ended refers to,for example, that the imaging mode has transitioned to a playback mode(playback screen for playing back images) or that the digital camera 100is powered off.

FIGS. 5A to 5C illustrate display examples of the range capable of touchoperations when the user makes a touch operation while looking into theviewfinder according to the present exemplary embodiment. FIGS. 5A to 5Cillustrate display examples where the effective touch area is set to thetop right area as illustrated in FIG. 4. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustratedisplay examples where the specification method of the position of theposition index corresponding to the touch operation on the touch panel70 a is relative position specification. FIG. 5C illustrates a displayexample where the specification method of the position of the positionindex corresponding to the touch operation on the touch panel 70 a isabsolute position specification.

In FIGS. 5A to 5C, the area of the touch panel 70 a other than theeffective touch area (where instructions are unable to be given by touchoperations) is shown with hatching. The EVF 29 displays the LV image521, and an object 522 and an object 523.

FIG. 5A illustrates a display example of the AF pointer and theindicator displayed on the EVF 29 when a touch-down is made by the useron the touch panel 70 a in step S302 of FIG. 3A (YES in step S302 ofFIG. 3A). Points R0 to R3 illustrated on the touch panel 70 a of FIG. 5Arepresent the four vertices of the effective touch area described abovewith reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. In the present exemplary embodiment,the effective touch area is set to the top right area (candidate 403 inFIG. 4). The coordinates of the four vertices are as follows:

Point R0: (Xr0, Yr0),

Point R1: (Xr0, Yr1),

Point R2: (Xr1, Yr1), and

Point R3: (Xr1, Yr0).

The position of the touch-down made with the finger 520 on the touchpanel 70 a of FIG. 5A (touch-down in step S302 or S324 of FIGS. 3A and3B) will be referred to as point P0, which is expressed as:

Point P0: (Xp0, Yp0).

Since point P0 falls within the effective touch area (within the areahaving vertices at points R0 to R3), Xr0≤Xp0≤Xr1 and Yr0≤Yp0≤Yr1.

An indicator 510 indicating the movable range of the AF pointer isdisplayed on the EVF 29 of FIG. 5A. The four vertices of the areaconstituting the indicator 510 will be referred to as points S0 to S3.The position of the AF pointer displayed in response to the touch-downmade by the user (step S305 of FIG. 3A) will be referred to as point F0,which is expressed as:

Point F0: (Xf0, Yf0).

The AF pointer 500 is displayed as a circle about point F0. In thepresent exemplary embodiment, the AF pointer 500 is not displayed as aclosed circle, but is displayed such that the circle is represented byonly four segments. However, the display mode is not limited thereto.Since the specification method of the position corresponding to thetouch operation in FIG. 5A is relative position specification asdescribed above, point P0 representing the touch-down position of theuser and point F0 for displaying the AF pointer 500 on the EVF 29 inresponse to the touch-down do not have a relationship in position. Inother words, the position of the AF pointer 500 displayed on the EVF 29does not depend on the position coordinates of the touch-down position.In the case of relative position specification, the AF pointer 500displayed in response to the user's touch-down is displayed at theprevious position of the AF pointer 500 or the previous AF executionposition, stored in the system memory 52.

Suppose that the user makes a touch-move operation from point P0 on thetouch panel 70 a of FIG. 5A (YES in step S309 of FIG. 3A). The amount oftouch-move operation on the touch panel 70 a here will be denoted by(ΔXr, ΔYr), and the amount movement of the AF pointer 500 moved by theamount of touch-move operation will be denoted by (ΔXf, ΔYt). Therelationship between the amounts of movement can be expressed as:ΔXf=kx×ΔXr, andΔYf=ky×ΔYr,where kx and ky are positive real numbers. kx and ky may be set by theuser on the setting menu screen. kx and ky may be predetermined values.If kx and ky are less than 1 in value, the amount of movement of thedisplayed AF pointer 500 becomes small compared to the amount oftouch-move operation. For example, the AF pointer 500 will not move fromone end to the other of the displayed range even if the user makes atouch-move operation from one end to the other of the touch panel 70 a.On the other hand, if kx and ky are greater than 1 in value, a smalltouch-move operation moves the AF pointer 500 greatly. For example, theAF pointer 500 displayed on the EVF 29 can be moved from one end to theother of the indicator 510 by the amount of touch-move operation as muchas from one end to near the center of the touch panel 70 a.

If a touch-move operation is made from point P0 to point R0 on the touchpanel 70 a, the AF pointer 500 moves from point F0 to S0 on the EVF 29.Similarly, if a touch-move operation is made from point P0 to points R1,R2, and R3, the AF pointer 500 moves from point F0 to points S1, S2, andS3, respectively. In other words, from the calculation formula of therelationship between the amount of touch-move operation and the amountof movement of the AF pointer 500, the position coordinates of points S0to S3 are determined as follows:

Point S0: (Xf0−kx×(Xp0−Xr0), Yf0−ky×(Yp0−Yr0)),

Point S1: (Xf0−kx×(Xp0−Xr0), Yf0−ky×(Yp0−Yr1)),

Point S2: (Xf0−kx×(Xp0−Xr1), Yf0−ky×(Yp0−Yr1)), and

Point S3: (Xf0−kx×(Xp0−Xr1), Yf0−ky×(Yp0−Yr0)).

The indicator 510 is displayed based on these position coordinates.

The indicator 510 having vertices at points S0 to S3 visually indicateshow far the user can make a touch-move operation on the touch panel 70a. In other words, the indicator 510 indicates the movable range of theAF pointer 500 by a single touch-move operation from when a touch ismade on the touch panel 70 a to when the touch is released. For example,suppose, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, that a touch-down is made on pointP0 on the touch panel 70 a. In such a case, the AF pointer 500 isdisplayed at the position of point F0 on the EVF 29, and the indicator510 is displayed as well. Displaying the indicator 510 enables the userto visually recognize that the finger 520 can make a large touch-movetoward point R2 on the touch panel 70 a and cannot make a largetouch-move toward point R0. If a touch-down is made on point P0 on thetouch panel 70 a, the AF pointer 500 is displayed at point F0 on the EVF29. Point F0 is close to the side connecting points S0 and S1 of theindicator 510, from which it can be seen that the AF pointer 500 isunable to be moved up to the object 522 in the LV image 521 by atouch-move operation starting with the current touch-down. In such amanner, the user, when making a touch-down, can determine whether atouch-down is desirably made again at a different position to move theAF pointer 500 from the current touch-down position to a desiredposition.

Moreover, as determined above, the position coordinates of points S0 toS3 that are the vertices of the indicator 510 change depending onseveral conditions in making a touch-down on the touch panel 70 a, andthe display position of the indicator 510 changes with the change in theposition coordinates. Specifically, the several conditions are thefollowing three: the position coordinates of a touch-down made on thetouch panel 70 a, the position coordinates of the respective vertices ofthe set effective touch area, and the position coordinates of the AFpointer 500 displayed on the EVF 29 in response to the touch-down (i.e.,the position of the AF frame before the touch-down). If at least one setof the position coordinates changes, the display position changes. Inthe present exemplary embodiment, the indicator 510 is displayed as arectangle having vertices at points S0 to S3. However, the displaymethod is not limited thereto, as long as the user can identify theindicator 510. For example, the rectangle can be filled withsemitransparent color, instead of the rectangular being drawn bystraight lines. The range can be indicated by displaying only L-shapedfigures at the four vertices.

If the X coordinates or Y coordinates of points S0 and S3 calculated bythe foregoing calculation formula are less than 0, the less-than-zerocoordinates are corrected to 0. In other words, depending on therelationship between the position of the touch-down made by the user onthe touch panel 70 a and the display position of the AF pointer 500, theindicator 510 may sometimes not have a shape based on the effectivetouch area of the touch panel 70 a. Correcting the indicator 510 enablesthe user to find out how far a touch-move can be made from the currenttouch-down position, and, in a case where the display position of the AFpointer 500 is close to the boundary of the indicator 510, that therange capable of a touch-move is narrow. The user can then make atouch-down again if a large touch-move operation is intended. If thedisplay position of the AF pointer 500 is far from the border of theindicator 510, the user can find out that a large touch-move operationcan be made.

FIG. 5B illustrates a display example of the movement of the AF pointer500 displayed on the EVF 29 when the user makes a touch-move operationon the touch panel 70 a in step S311 of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 5B illustrates a case where the user makes a touch-move operationfrom point P0 to point P1 on the touch panel 70 a. The positioncoordinates of point P1 are:

Point P1: (Xp1, Yp1).

The amount of movement by the touch-move operation here can be expressedas:ΔXp=Xp1−Xp0, andΔYp=Yp1−Yp0.

If the touch-move operation from point P0 to point P1 is made, the AFpointer moves from point F0 to point F1 on the EVF 29. By applying theamount of movement to the foregoing calculation formula by which theindicator 510 is calculated, the position coordinates of point F1 can beexpressed as:

Point F1: (Xf+kx×(Xp1−Xp0), Yf0+ky×(Yp1−Yp0)).

The AF pointer is moved to the determined position coordinates of pointF1. As described above, in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the position specificationmethod by a touch operation is relative position specification. Theamount of touch-move operation 505 on the touch panel 70 a in FIG. 5B istherefore not the same as the amount of movement 506 of the AF pointeron the EVF 29. Meanwhile, the positional relationship between the AFpointer 500 displayed in response to the touch-down made in step S302 ofFIG. 3A and the indicator 510 calculated by the foregoing calculationformula and displayed in step S306 of FIG. 3A does not change. Thereason is that the relative position relationship between the AF pointer500 and the indicator 510 during a touch-move remains unchanged unless atouch-up is made.

If the user ends the touch-move at point P1 on the touch panel 70 a ofFIG. 5B and makes a touch-up, the indicator 510 is hidden in response tothe touch-up (step S321 of FIG. 3B). An AF pointer 501 continues to bedisplayed at point F1 on the EVF 29 of FIG. 5B for a predetermined time.After a lapse of a predetermined time, the display mode is changed andan AF operation is performed (step S323 of FIG. 3B). If the user makes atouch-down on the touch panel 70 a again, the system control unit 50displays the AF pointer and the indicator indicating the movable rangeof a touch-move to notify the user of the range capable of a movingoperation. This can reduce the user's chances of making a touch-move outof the effective touch area of the touch panel 70 a, and reduce thepossibility of an AF operation being performed at a position notintended by the user. Since the movable range of the AF pointer isdisplayed each time the user makes a touch-down on the touch panel 70 a,the user can eventually find out roughly what part of the effectivetouch area of the touch panel 70 a is being touched. This can reduce thepossibility of an AF operation being performed against the user'sintention.

FIG. 5C illustrates an operation example of the touch panel 70 a and adisplay example of the EVF 29 in a case where the effective touch areaof the touch panel 70 a is set to the top right area and the positionspecification method by a touch operation is set to absolute positionspecification. The position coordinates of the touch-down and theposition coordinates of the touch-move on the touch panel 70 aillustrated in FIG. 5C are the same as those on the touch panel 70 aillustrated in FIG. 5B. If the user makes a touch-move operation frompoint P0 to point P1 on the touch panel 70 a of FIG. 5C, the AF pointermoves from point F2 to point F3 on the EVF 29. That is to say, an AFpointer 502 moves to an AF pointer 503 by the touch-move operation frompoint P0 to point P1. The range capable of a touch moving operation hereis represented by the area having vertices at points S4 to S7. Since theposition specification method by a touch operation in FIG. 5C isabsolute position specification, the area represented by points S4 to S7is the entire display area of the EVF 29. In the present exemplaryembodiment, the AF pointer can be moved (AF operation can be performed)over the entire display area of the EVF 29, and the area represented bypoints S4 to S7 is thus the entire display area of the EVF 29. However,this is not restrictive. Specifically, if the movable range of the AFpointer (range selectable by the AF pointer) is an area smaller than thedisplay area of the EVF 29, the area to be represented by points S4 toS7 is made accordingly smaller than the display area of the EVF 29.Since the position specification method of the position coordinates isabsolute position specification, the coordinates of the touch positioncorrespond in position to the coordinates of the display position of theAF pointer. The area having vertices at points R0 to R3 and the areahaving vertices at points S4 to S7 are in different scales. The systemcontrol unit 50 therefore calculates a scale in which point R0 agreeswith point S4, point R1 with point S5, point R2 with point S6, and pointR3 with point S7, calculates the position of the AF pointercorresponding to the touch position, and displays the AF pointer.Assuming that the vertices of the effective touch area of the touchpanel 70 a are points R4 to R7, the position coordinates of points R4 toR7 can be expressed as follows:

Point R4: (Xr4, Yr4),

Point R5: (Xr4, Yr5),

Point R6: (Xr5, Yr5), and

Point R7: (Xr5, Yr4).

Suppose that the entire range where the AF frame can be set on the EVF29 (in the present exemplary embodiment, the entire display area of theEVF 29) has a width of Xe and a height of Ye. In such a case, theposition coordinates of points S4 to S7 are given by:

Point S4: (0, 0),

Point S5: (0, Ye),

Point S6: (Xe, Ye), and

Point S7: (Xe, 0).

Since the position specification method by a touch operation in FIG. 5Cis absolute position specification, the position coordinates of pointsS4 to S7 define the predetermined range as described above. In otherwords, unlike points S0 to S3 or the range defined by points S0 to S3 inFIGS. 5A and 5B, points S4 to S7 and the range defined by points S4 toS7 are uniquely determined by the size of the EVF 29 without using thecalculation formula. The position coordinates of points F2 and F3illustrated on the EVF 29 in FIG. 5C can thus be expressed as:

Point F2: ((Xp0−Xr4)×Xe/(Xr5−Xr4), (Yp0−Yr0)×Ye/(Yr5−Yr0)), and

Point F3: ((Xp1−Xr4)×Xe/(Xr5−Xr4), (Yp1−Yr0)×Ye/(Yr5−Yr0)).

The amount of touch-move operation 505 on the touch panel 70 a in FIG.5C is not the same as the amount of movement 507 of the AF pointer onthe EVF 29. Even if the position specification method by a touchoperation is set to absolute position specification, an indicator 511indicating the range capable of touch moving operations is displayed. Asdescribed above, the range indicated by the indicator 511 agrees withthe entire display area of the EVF 29. Displaying the indicator 511enables the user to visually recognize that a touch operation on thetouch panel 70 a is made by absolute position specification. Byrepeating touch operations, the user can thus eventually intuitivelyfind out which position on the touch panel 70 a corresponds to whichposition on the EVF 29 without directly observing the touch panel 70 a.This increases the likelihood that the user can specify a desiredposition with higher accuracy.

While the coefficients kx and ky are described to be settable by theuser or set in advance, the system control unit 50 may change thecoefficients kx and ky based on information about the lens unit 150connected to the digital camera 100. For example, the system controlunit 50 can be configured to reduce the values of the coefficients kxand ky if the connected lens unit 150 is a telescopic lens. Sometelescopic lenses to be connected have a narrower range of distancemeasurement points selectable by the user than those of normal andwide-angle lenses. If such a telescopic lens is used with normal areasettings before the area of distance measurement points becomes narrow,fine selection of a distance measurement point can be difficult. Sincefiner selection of a distance measurement point, i.e., finer movement ofthe AF pointer is desirable, the amount of movement of the AF pointerwith respect to the amount of touch-move operation can be reduced forimproved usability.

The values of the coefficients kx and ky may be changed depending on theoperation speed of the touch-move operation. Specifically, if the speedof the touch-move operation is high, the system control unit 50increases the values of the coefficients kx and ky to increase theamount of movement of the AF pointer since the user is considered tointend to move the AF pointer largely and quickly. On the other hand, ifthe speed of the touch-move operation is low, the system control unit 50reduces the values of the coefficients kx and ky since the user isconsidered to intend to carefully make fine adjustments to the AFpointer. A specific example will now be described with reference toFIGS. 6A to 6C. In FIGS. 6A and 6C, an LV image 621 is displayed on theEVF 29.

FIG. 6A illustrates point P0 representing a touch-down position of theuser and point F4 for displaying the AF pointer 604 on the EVF 29 inresponse to the touch-down do not have a relationship in position. Thispoint P0 has the same position coordinates as those of point P0 in FIG.5A. If the user makes a touch-down on point P0, an indicator 612 isdisplayed on the EVF 29 as illustrated in FIG. 6A. Since only atouch-down is made in FIG. 6A, the speed of a touch-move operation(touch-move speed) in the graph of FIG. 6B is 0 and the coefficients kxand ky are ka. The system control unit 50 determines points Sa to Sd andthe indicator 612 by the foregoing calculation method, using thecoefficients kx and ky=ka. If the user starts a touch-move, the systemcontrol unit 50 determines the coefficients kx and ky based on thetouch-move speed and the graph of FIG. 6B, and changes the size of theindicator based on the determined coefficients kx and ky.

If the touch-move speed is 0 to A (lower than or equal to A), thecoefficients kx and ky are ka from the graph of FIG. 6B. The indicatoris thus the same as when only a touch-down is made (indicator 612 inFIG. 6A).

If the touch-move speed is between A and B (higher than A and lower thanB), the system control unit 50 changes the coefficients kx and ky basedon the proportional line in the graph of FIG. 6B, and changes theindicator. With the touch-move speed of between A and B (higher than Aand lower than B), the size of the indicator is changed between that ofthe indicator 612 and that of an indicator 613.

If the touch-move speed is higher than or equal to B, the coefficientskx and ky are kb from the graph of FIG. 6B, and the indicator 613 isdisplayed. The system control unit 50 determines points Se to Sh andcalculates the indicator 613 as with the indicator 612.

The user's needs to move the AF pointer largely and quickly and to makefine adjustments to the AF pointer can be met by changing the movablerange of the AF pointer depending on the touch-move speed, using thecoefficients kx and ky determined based on the graph of FIG. 6B. Thiscan further improve operability.

FIG. 6C illustrates a display example in a case where the effectivetouch area of the touch panel 70 a is circular. The left half of FIG. 6Cillustrates an example of a touch operation on the touch panel 70 a, andthe right half of FIG. 6C a display example of an indicator on the EVF29. The effective touch area obtained in step S301 is a circle aboutpoint C (Xc, Yc) with a radius of r, represented by an area 601. Supposethat the touch coordinates of the touch-down made in step S302 are:

Point P5: (Xp5, Yp5), and

the position coordinates determined from the touch-down are:

Point F5: (Xf5, Yf5).

The system control unit 50 displays an index 600 that is an AF pointeron the EVF 29 based on point F5. The system control unit 50 determinesan indicator 605 indicating the movable range of the AF pointer 600,displays the indicator 605 on the EVF 29, and determines the movement ofthe AF pointer 600 based on the touch-move, using the calculationformula described above with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C. The indicator605 has an elliptic shape, the center of which is located at:

point C′: (Xf5+kx×(Xc−Xp5), Yf5+ky×(Yc−Yp5)),

with a major axis that is parallel to the X-axis and has a major radiusof kx×r, and a minor axis that is parallel to the Y-axis and has a minorradius of ky×r (where kx>ky>0). In such a manner, an indicator can begenerated even if the effective touch area is a closed figure other thana rectangle. In FIG. 6C, the indicator 605 is configured as an ellipselong in the X-axis direction for improved operability, taking intoaccount the laterally long shapes of both the touch panel 70 a and theEVF 29 and the mobility of human fingers with the digital camera 100held in hand. However, the indicator 605 is not limited to theelliptical shape and may be circular.

The present exemplary embodiment is also applicable to a case where adevice for detecting operations only in one direction, such as a lineartouch operation member (line touch sensor), is used. The method fordetermining the touch-down position and the indicator to be displayeddescribed above with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C can be applied to aline touch sensor by setting the position coordinate in the Y-axisdirection to 0.

In the present exemplary embodiment, AF-related processing is describedto be controlled by touch operations on the touch panel 70 a. However,other processing, such as AE- and AWB-related processing, may be madecontrollable by touch operations on the touch panel 70 a.

If the user operates the touch panel 70 a without looking into theviewfinder (without an eye approach to the eyepiece unit 16 beingdetected by the eye approach detection unit 57), the indicatorindicating the movable range of the AF pointer is not displayed on theEVF 29. The reason is that the indicator does not need to be displayed,since the user not looking into the viewfinder can directly visuallyrecognize the touch panel 70 a.

As described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, 5A to 5C, and 6A to 6C,the movable range of the AF pointer corresponding to the effective toucharea of the touch panel 70 a set by the user is displayed on the EVF 29based on the user's touch operations on the touch panel 70 a. Whenoperating the touch panel 70 a while looking into the EVF 29, the usercan thus visually recognize the movable range of the AF pointercorresponding to the effective touch area on the EVF 29 without visuallyrecognizing the touch panel 70 a. The user can thus find out how far atouch-move can be made from a touch-down position when the touch-down ismade. Since the movable range of the AF pointer is displayed each timethe user makes a touch-down or touch-move, visually recognizing themovable range repeatedly increases the possibility that the user canroughly find out the size of the effective touch area set by the userhimself/herself. This facilitates the user operating the touch panel 70a while looking into the viewfinder to find out the movable range of theAF pointer by touch operations, and improves operability.

The foregoing various controls described to be performed by the systemcorrection unit 50 may be performed by a single piece of hardware. Aplurality of pieces of hardware (such as a plurality of processors orcircuits) may control the entire apparatus by sharing processing.

While the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has beendescribed in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to thisspecific exemplary embodiment, and various other modes not departingfrom the gist of the present disclosure are also included in the presentdisclosure. The foregoing exemplary embodiment is merely one embodimentof the present disclosure.

The foregoing exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has beendescribed to be applied to a digital camera. However, this is notrestrictive, and the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure isapplicable to any electronic device capable of display control by movingoperations. Specific examples of the device to which the exemplaryembodiment can be applied include a personal computer, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone terminal, a portable imageviewer, a printer apparatus including a display, a digital photo frame,a music player, a game machine, and an electronic book reader.

Other Exemplary Embodiments

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can also beimplemented by performing the following processing. The processingincludes supplying software (program) for implementing the functions ofthe foregoing exemplary embodiment to a system or an apparatus via anetwork or various storage media, and reading and executing the programcode by a computer (or CPU or micro processing unit (MPU)) of the systemor apparatus. In such a case, the program and the storage media storingthe program constitute the present exemplary embodiment.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can facilitate theuser to find out a range capable of touch operations.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Embodiment(s) of the present disclosure can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, the scope of the following claims are to beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent structures and functions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2020-063832, filed Mar. 31, 2020, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic apparatus comprising at least one memory and at least one processor which function as: a touch detection unit configured to detect a touch operation on an operation surface; a control unit configured to, in a case where a moving operation for making a touch on the operation surface and moving the touch is made in a first area of the operation surface, control movement of a selection position displayed on a display unit by an amount corresponding to the moving operation, and in a case where the moving operation is made in a second area of the operation surface, the second area adjoining the first area, perform control such that the movement of the selection position is not performed; and a display control unit configured to, in a case where a predetermined touch operation is made in the first area, perform control to display an indicator indicating a movable range of the selection position by the moving operation on the display unit regardless of a distance from a border between the first and second areas to a touch position of the predetermined touch operation.
 2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates a movable range of the selection position by a single touch operation on the operation surface.
 3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indicator has a shape based on the first area.
 4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to perform control to display the indicator at a different position depending on a condition in the case where the predetermined touch operation is made.
 5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to perform control to display the indicator at a different position depending on a position at which a touch of the touch operation is started.
 6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further function as an area setting unit configured to set what area of the operation surface to use as the first area, and wherein the display control unit is configured to perform control to display the indicator at a different position depending on a position of the first area set by the area setting unit.
 7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to perform control to display the indicator at a different position depending on a display position of the selection position before the predetermined touch operation is made on the operation surface.
 8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further function as a setting unit configured to make any one of a plurality of settings including a first setting to, in the case where the predetermined touch operation is made on the operation surface, move the selection position by a predetermined amount from a previous position of a touch operation on the operation surface based on the previous position of the touch operation without moving the selection position to a position corresponding to a touched position on the operation surface, and a second setting to, in the case where the touch operation is made on the operation surface, move the selection position to a position corresponding to a touch position at which the touch operation on the operation surface is started regardless of the selection position before the touch operation, and wherein the display control unit is configured to, in a case where the second setting is made by the setting unit and the predetermined touch operation is made, perform control to display the indicator at a predetermined position.
 9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the indicator indicates a display area of the display unit.
 10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the indicator indicates an entire area selectable by the selection position.
 11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined touch operation is a start of a touch on the operation surface.
 12. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined touch operation is a start of the moving operation for making a touch on the operation surface and moving the touch.
 13. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection position is a selection position of a focus detection area.
 14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the display control unit is configured to, in a case where a predetermined time has elapsed since an end of the predetermined touch operation on the first area of the operation surface, perform control to execute automatic focus processing at the selection position.
 15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display control unit is configured to, in a case where the predetermined touch operation on the operation surface is started again before the predetermined time has elapsed since the end of the predetermined touch operation on the first area of the operation surface, perform control such that the automatic focus processing is not executed.
 16. The electronic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display control unit is configured to, in a case where the predetermined touch operation is started in the first area of the operation surface and moved from the first area to the second area by the moving operation, perform control to execute the automatic focus processing at the selection position at a point in time where the touch operation is moved to the second area or immediately before the touch operation is moved to the second area despite continuation of the predetermined touch operation.
 17. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further function as an approach detection unit configured to detect approach of an object, and wherein the display control unit is configured to, in a case where the touch operation is made on the operation surface with the approach being detected by the approach detection unit, control the display of the indicator, and in a case where no approach is detected by the approach detection unit, perform control such that the indicator is not displayed regardless of whether the touch operation is made on the operation surface.
 18. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an imaging unit; a viewfinder; and a display unit in the viewfinder, wherein the control unit is configured to, in a case where the predetermined touch operation is made on the operation surface outside the viewfinder, perform control to display the indicator on the display unit in the viewfinder.
 19. A method for controlling an electronic apparatus including a touch detection unit configured to detect a touch operation on an operation surface, the method comprising: in a case where a moving operation for making a touch on the operation surface and moving the touch is made in a first area of the operation surface, controlling movement of a selection position displayed on a display unit by an amount corresponding to the moving operation, and in a case where the moving operation is made in a second area of the operation surface, the second area adjoining the first area, performing control such that the movement of the selection position is not performed; and in a case where a predetermined touch operation is made in the first area, controlling display of an indicator indicating a movable range of the selection position by the moving operation on the display unit regardless of a distance from a border between the first and second areas to a touch position of the predetermined touch operation.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a method for controlling an electronic apparatus, the method comprising: in a case where a moving operation for making a touch on the operation surface and moving the touch is made in a first area of the operation surface, controlling movement of a selection position displayed on a display unit by an amount corresponding to the moving operation, and in a case where the moving operation is made in a second area of the operation surface, the second area adjoining the first area, performing control such that the movement of the selection position is not performed; and in a case where a predetermined touch operation is made in the first area, controlling display of an indicator indicating a movable range of the selection position by the moving operation on the display unit regardless of a distance from a border between the first and second areas to a touch position of the predetermined touch operation. 